Knife.



No. 825,093.- PATENTED JULY 3, 1906.

W. F. WATSON.

KNIFE.

APPLICATION FILED AUGA. 1905.

' fi MEL nmmnl Z IHIHIIII lllllillllll I ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OF ONE-HALF TO ROY OHADWICK, OF TIDIOUTE, PENNSYLVANIA.

KNIFE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 1906.

Application filed August 4, 1905. Serial No. 272,682.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM FRANKLIN WATsoN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Tidioute, in the county of Warren and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Knife, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention has for its principal object the provision of means for automatically locking the blade of a knife, especially of that form known as a jack-knife, in open position.

Although especially adapted to jackknives, it can be used for any other kind of a knife having a movable blade. For the accomplishment of this object I provide means which is at once simple and inexpensive and which does not add a single piece to the jackknife of ordinary construction.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a knife embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a plate constituting a portion of the knife. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of plate; and Fig. 5 is a plan of a knife, showing a slight modification.

The invention may be ap lied to knives having any desired number of blades located in any ordinary way. At the side of the blade is located a plate a, riveted in the handle, as is usually the case; but instead of being made solid this plate is provided with a slit a, above which is a tongue I). This tongue is formed of resilient material and normally projects over the end of the blade, as shown in Fig. 2. It is provided with a shoulder 5 for engaging the end of the blade and securely holding it in open position. In the form shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 this plate is the ordinary center plate provided with two slits a and two tongues bin order to lock the two blades. In Fig. 4 I have shown a similar center plate having only one slit and one tongue. This is used for one-bladed knives and for others in which it is desired to apply my invention to only one blade. Instead of applying the invention to the center plate it can be applied to the lining, as is shown in Fig. 5. In this case the lining is represented by the letter 0, and it is provided with a locking-tongue d and a slit 0, as before, and operating in the same manner.

The operation of the device is very simple. When the blade of the knife is closed, the tongue I) naturally rests at its side, and the plate a, whether constructed as one of the division-plates ordinarily employed in the knife or not, has no function at this time. If it is made in the form of one of the division-plates, it merely serves that purpose, and the tongue merely presses against the blade with a yielding pressure. The knife is opened in the usual manner, and when the blade is fully open, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 5, the tongue will by its own resiliency spring over the surface of the blade and hold it locked in open position until the tongue is forced back out of the way. The tongue of course performs no operation on the blade when in partly-open position, as shown at the right of Fig. 1, except to exert a pressure upon it and add to the friction.

It will be observed that by the use of the principle of my invention, Whether in the orms shown or not, the advantages of looking the blade when in open position can be readily attained with very little increase in cost and without the addition of a single element to an ordinary knife.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A knife comprising a blade and a plate pivoted thereto, said plate being slotted longitudinally at one side of the point of pivotal connection to form a tongue, and the said tongue being offset from the plane of the plate and normally pressing against the blade, said blade having a notch in which the said tongue engages when the blade is opened into longitudinal alinement with the plate.

2. A knife having a plate formed of resilient material and located at the side of the blade, said plate having a tongue normally adapted to project over the blade when open and lock it in open position.

3. A knife having a plate provided with a longitudinal slit near one end, bounded on one side by a tongue, said tongue being of resilient material and being normall bent out of the plane of the plate on the ot er side of the slit into such position as to engage the top of the rear end of the blade when in open position, said tongue being located on the side of the handle of the knife from which the blade 0 ens.

4. In a knife the combination of a movable blade, and a plate located adjacent thereto, 5 said blade having a longitudinal slit, a resilient tongue forming one wall of said slit and adapted to normally project over the end of sai knife-blade when the latter is open, said tongue being provided with a projection for 10 engaging the end of the blade and-locking it in open position.

5. A knife comprising a blade and a late pivoted thereto, said plate having a res' 'ent tongue oifset from the plane of the plate and engaging the end of the blade when the said I 5 blade is opened.

6. A knife comprising a blade and a plate pivoted thereto, said plate having a resilient tongue offset from the plane of the plate, whereby to project over the blade and lock it 20 in open position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

, Witnesses:

WILLIAM FRANKLIN WATSON. R. TAGGART, E. H. MCMANN. 

